Would Steve Carell Ever Play Michael Scott Again?

It doesn't seem likely, but nothing's impossible.

"The Office," a remake of the British series of the same name which was led by Ricky Gervais, appeared on NBC as a humble mid-season replacement in March of 2005 and somehow became one of the most beloved and iconic sitcoms of its time. This is, in large part, thanks to the central performance by Steve Carell as Michael Scott, the well-meaning yet bumbling boss at the Scranton branch of the corporate paper company Dunder-Mifflin. Carell left the show behind during its seventh season in 2011, and since then, he's been pretty unequivocal about not returning. Aside from a 2018 "Saturday Night Live" monologue where his castmates begged him to return, only for him to demur, Carell told Collider he wasn't interested in an "Office" reboot later that same year.

"I'll tell you, no," Carell told Collider's Christina Radish when asked if he'd return to Scranton. "I feel like I'm a broken record, talking about this because I get asked about it. The show is way more popular now than when it was on the air. I just can't see it being the same thing, and I think most folks would want it to be the same thing, but it wouldn't be. Ultimately, I think it's maybe best to leave well enough alone and just let it exist as what it was. You'd literally have to have all of the same writers, the same producers, the same directors, and the same actors, and even with all of those components, it just wouldn't be the same. So, no. But, I love the show. It was the most exciting time, and all of those people are my friends. We all love it. It was a special thing. It was a special thing before people thought it was a special thing. It was special to us, before other people started feeling that way. But, no."

As the entertainment landscape has made some — very necessary — shifts to make sure the industry is more inclusive and respectful, some stars have looked back on their projects, many of which reflect the time in which they were made, and wonder if they'd be accepted today. Steve Carell has looked back on his time as Michael Scott, to that end, and considering that Michael often said the wrong thing at the wrong moment — sometimes with glee — he doesn't think "The Office" would work as well made today.

"Because 'The Office' is on Netflix and replaying, a lot more people have seen it recently," Carell told Esquire in late 2018. "And I think because of that there's been a resurgence in interest in the show, and talk about bringing it back. But apart from the fact that I just don't think that's a good idea, it might be impossible to do that show today and have people accept it the way it was accepted ten years ago. The climate's different. I mean, the whole idea of that character, Michael Scott, so much of it was predicated on inappropriate behavior. I mean, he's certainly not a model boss. A lot of what is depicted on that show is completely wrong-minded. That's the point, you know? But I just don't know how that would fly now. There's a very high awareness of offensive things today—which is good, for sure. But at the same time, when you take a character like that too literally, it doesn't really work."

Whether or not an "Office" reboot is going to happen in the first place definitely remains to be seen, whether the show goes for a straightforward all-out revival featuring original characters or some sort of staged sit-down like the "Friends" reunion special. In November 2019, Steve Carell, who was likely even more exasperated at this point at being asked about an "Office" reboot yet again, appeared on the "Ellen Degeneres Show" and was asked the same query for the millionth time. This time, he was prepared with a completely absurd answer.

"You know what I thought would be great for "The Office,' not reboot 'The Office,' but take 'The Office' cast and reboot 'Cheers,'" Carell told Degeneres. "So, like I would be Sam, and Jenna [Fischer, who played Pam Beesly-Halpert] would be.. you know, like just take different characters."

You know what they say: There are no bad ideas, just bad decisions. Anyway, remaking "Cheers" with the cast of "The Office" — or really, remaking either of these classic shows — would be an actively bad idea, so maybe everybody could stop asking Carell about it until he's forced into the whole ordeal by some wild contract loophole.

"The Office" is available to stream on Peacock now.